Letter: Unions would drive up cost of living in South Carolina

In the recent letter "Unions bring prosperity to states when welcomed," the writer attempted to make the case that unions would be a good thing for South Carolina. He quoted statistics comparing rates of union membership to income and percentages of residents under the poverty level. But he neglected to figure in one very important factor: The local cost of living.

The problem with national poverty level statistics is that they ignore the basic truth that different parts of the country have vastly different living costs. And on a nationwide scale, the cost of living here in the Upstate is very low. I moved here 15 months ago from the Washington, D.C., area, a heavily unionized area, where I worked in a union job. My hourly wage there was triple what it is here, yet I also had to work two part-time jobs in order to keep my head above water. My hour-long commute from my home in Virginia to my office in the heart of D.C. was costly, but not nearly as costly as housing near my office would have been. Here in Greenville it's possible to buy a three- or four-bedroom house for an amount that would barely purchase a small efficiency condominium near D.C.

What would happen if unions made an inroad into the Upstate? They would start organizing like mad to try to increase their strength. As more and more employers started having to deal with union demands by raising wages and adding costly benefits, they would need to increase the costs of their products and services. The cost of living would go up for everybody.

I think Gov. Nikki Haley has the right idea.

Donna Kepler

Greenville

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Letter: Unions would drive up cost of living in South Carolina

In the recent letter 'Unions bring prosperity to states when welcomed,' the writer attempted to make the case that unions would be a good thing for South Carolina.